Refuge from the storm
by Maxaro
Summary: A collection of stories from my heart. M rated chapters marked. Current chapter: A joined team exercise in the forest proves to be painful for a certain white haired heiress due to her choice of footwear. Luckily, a certain blond Arc knows exactly how to help. Despite being not being awake./ Collab with Lone.
1. Belonging

**Belonging**

 **AN: This is something for me. Something, like the title of the story suggest, that I can use as a refuge from the storm of emotions that will assault me in 11 days time. Writing whatever the hell feels good on my birthday has been therapeutic to say the least and writing about the character I've become the most territorial over in all of fiction again feels nice.**

 _Home._

It was a thing that, for most of her life, Neo had never really thought about much. For the longest time she'd just been content following Roman's lead, being his muscle when needed, deciding that her place was at his side, even if it never really felt like she _belonged_ there. She wouldn't call it _home_ exactly, just like she wouldn't call Roman _family_ , but considering how little she remembered of her _real_ home and family, she didn't really have much of a reference. And even then, if Neo was being honest with herself, her lack of any real memories regarding her parents or possible siblings wasn't something that actually bothered her anymore.

In the end, though, staying with Roman was enough for Neo. She didn't have a real home, no place where she belonged, and she was fine with that. It wasn't a necessary part needed for her to enjoy herself, which meant, to her, that it didn't matter in the end.

However, that changed when Roman had started working for that Cinder woman and Neo had been sent in as a spy to Beacon. A job that she had detested at first, but had then soon come to adore. Because Beacon was where she met _him._ The boy who made her feel like she _belonged._

The sound of rain falling from high up above and splashing down upon the roof of Beacon rang—along with the occasional dull rumble of thunder in the distance—drummed in Neo's ears as she laid awake. For most of her life, she'd been a very light sleeper, always up and ready for action within minutes, but when she was with _him_ that changed, and it wasn't often that she got opportunities like this one. From the almost complete lack of light coming from the window to her left, as well as her internal clock, the small, neapolitan haired girl guessed it couldn't be more than four in the morning, a time she was usually soundly asleep nowadays. However, this was far from a bad thing, at least in her opinion, because it let her take in the adorable and amazing sight of _his_ soundly sleeping features.

Neo absolutely loved watching _him_ sleep, it never failed to make her able to forget about everything else going on in her life and just focus on _him_ and _him_ alone.

 _Him._ Her adorkable, handsome, brave _knight._

Jaune Arc.

Just thinking about his name made the already serene smile on Neo's soft features become even more happy. She could feel his heat from where his bare upper body pressed against her bra-clad one, the rise and fall of his chest as breathed calmly and evenly, and the reassuring and comforting beat of his heart from where her petite form was laid on top of him—one of his large hands settled comfortably on her cute, almost completely bare rump (one which she totally hadn't urged down from it's original position on her lower back...)—and Neo very much doubted she could feel more happy than she was at this very moment... but then again, she'd also learned that she should never underestimate her knight's ability to make her feel content and happy. He always had something up his sleeve.

Gently, as to not wake him from his peaceful sleep, she snuggled just a tiny bit more into Jaune's broad chest, sighing softly as she couldn't help but take a whiff of that unique scent he always carried, regardless of what he'd done during the day. Tiredness was laid over her body like a blanket, something which was greatly helped by the fact that Jaune's chest was a very comfortable place to lay on, and Neo had to fight herself every so often from letting her lidded eyes close all the way. She didn't want to go to sleep again just yet—she wanted a little more time to just look at her knight.

Being with him let her feel something that she hadn't been able to feel in years, not since Roman had used her as bait in a heist without telling her about it. When she was with Jaune, Neo felt like she was _home._ Like she was where she _should_ be. There was just something about being near him that made this previously foreign feeling of _belonging_ settle over her. At first, she hadn't even known what it was, just that it made her feel _safe_ in a way she had never felt before, and that had made her confused. She had yet to meet someone she hadn't been able to easily crush beneath her heel so far, after all, so how could someone so far below her when it came to fighting prowess make her feel _safe_ and _protected_?

Now, though, Neo knew the answer to that. It was because she could trust Jaune. Completely. Something she hadn't been able to do with another person until she met him.

To Cinder, she was completely expendable, no more than a means to an end with slightly more uses than her other goons. The same went for everyone else in her life, with the exception of Roman, but even then she knew that he was a thief and conman to the very core, and as such, regardless of how long they'd been together or how much she did _want_ to, she couldn't trust that he _wouldn't_ justuse her if things went too far. She loved him like the big brother she never had, he'd been her friend and mentor figure when she'd been at her lowest, but no matter how much he'd done for her, Neo doubted anything could change that Roman was still a bad person at heart. Just like her.

Jaune, however, was the opposite of that. He was Roman's antithesis. Where Roman was suave and cool mannered; Jaune was dorky and not afraid to show his emotions. Roman thought only if himself; as opposed to Jaune who seemingly always put his own safety and needs as a secondary priority to those around him.

Roman was deceitful, almost like lying and playing around with words was second nature to him, while Jaune was trustworthy, practically unable to tell a lie without feeling bad about it. And Neo trusted Jaune. Because he deserved it. More than anyone she'd ever known.

Before her eyes, a loose, blond strand of hair landed on Jaune's nose, Neo gently blowing on it until it flew away into the darkness of the room, giggling almost soundlessly as the blonde's cute features scrunched up a little in his sleep. Thankfully, it wasn't enough to wake him, though, and after a moment his expression turned peaceful once again, a blissful hum making its way from Neo's throat as his grip on her tightened just a little. This was the place she belonged at. With her knight. A person she knew wouldn't use or abandon her. A person she could trust wholeheartedly without fearing that that precious trust would be thrown away.

Carefully letting her hand sneak over to his free one, Neo intertwined her fingers with Jaune's, feeling her heart warm when his own fingers closed down over the top of her smaller hand even in his sleep.

He'd given her safety that she hadn't known she wanted, serenity the likes of which she'd never experienced, and, most importantly, love so tender and sweet she felt undeserving of it at times. It didn't matter that they were on opposite sides, that hardly anyone but him knew of her existence, that the things she'd done in the past labeled her as a monster; Neo never wanted to let this go.

She never wanted to let _him_ go.

Roman might be the closest thing she had to a family, but Jaune, wherever he went, was her _home._

Jaune might not know of her sins, what she had done and still did, but if it meant that she could stay with him, keep this feeling of belonging, Neo would give that life up. She'd confess everything, accept any punishment, as long as her knight's arms were still waiting for her when she came back.

Quietly, with a voice as soft as a gentle breeze, Neo spoke against Jaune's chest—words she'd only let him and him alone hear—before she laid her head down and finally let sleep embrace her, giving Jaune's hand one last squeeze. A squeeze that was returned by the smiling boy on top of which she slept.

" _Thank you for letting me belong somewhere... I love you..."_

 **AN: This is not a one-shot. It's the first chapter of a collection that I will use to vent whenever the feelings inside me build up. I'm not good at expressing my feelings, I guess that comes with having Asperger's, but when I'm writing like this things just feel easier. Sometimes I even let thoughts and emotions I didn't even know I had seep into what I write.**

 **The focus in these chapters will most likely be on my favorite ships or just generally Jaune-centric. Some will be fluffy, like this one, and some will be more serious. If you'd like to follow me on this journey into my head, then please leave a fav or follow. Regardless, though, I want to thank you for reading my crap. No matter what hardships it might have caused me, I'm glad to have taken up writing thanks to all of you.**

 **Until next time... oh to hell with it. For old times sake: Maxaro out! *mic drop***


	2. Recovery

**Recovery**

 **AN: A thing me and Lone wrote a long time ago that we never put out. I decided, after editing yesterday, to change that. Enjoy.**

Jaune hated hospitals. He hated them with every fiber of his being. When he was young, they tried to stick needles in him. When he was a teenager, he needed to get his tonsils removed. And now... now, as if fate was just being an even crueler mistress than usual, he had to lie in a room that felt like the rooms that those events took place in for days, and to make matters worse? He was bored, oh god was he bored. He looked at his casted legs, and wondered if the Grimm that had attacked him from behind was somehow in cahoots with Nora. Of course that would mean she was a traitor. A dirty, stinkin' traitor. And he knew she wasn't, of course, that would be dumb, but the thought still amused him. Amusement was kind of hard to come by when all you had to do was stare out of a window all day and watch news.

A gentle knock on the door told him that someone was here to visit him, and he knew who it was immediately just from the rhythm of said knock. Blake came in carrying a stack of books in her arms, and Jaune flinched when she sat them down hard on the bedside table with a loud thunk.

Just from her stoic expression he could tell she was none too pleased with him, and when she didn't as much as spare a glance at him before taking a book from the stack she brought in he knew she was _really_ angry at him.

"Sorry..." he murmured, looking at the backs of the books to find something interesting to read. He didn't really expect Blake to answer, she always did this when she was mad. She didn't talk, but she still wanted him to see her so he could really take in her disgruntled mood.

"You're an idiot..." she whispered, sighing deeply, eyes still locked on the pages of her book. "Why...? Why do you have to be so stupid sometimes? It was _one_ Grimm, I could have easily taken it, you didn't need to hurt yourself just because of _one_ lousy Grimm..."

The stack of books really was a tower, which Jaune knew meant she wouldn't be staying for just an hour. She was going to stay the whole night. Possibly even more than just one night. This was further back up by one look at her pocket. Her wallet was filled with lien, no doubt a generous donation from Weiss to accommodate for her future hunger and thirst. He wondered if Blake was actually angry that she had to stay here, he seemed to remember what she really liked the food they served in the café. The tea as well was supposedly fantastic.

He pulled a book off the stack and lazily thumbed through the pages, reading a few words on a random page or so, hoping to get a quick read on the writing style before putting his time into it. "You know I have a habit... I didn't notice my aura was low, and I didn't notice that yours was full. All I saw was a giant monster lunging at you at fifty miles per hour, and I panicked." Blake just shook her head. "I'm sorry, Blake, okay? I really am. But I did it, and I admitted that it was stupid, and now I have to suffer the consequences of my idiocy. But even still, I don't regret it..."

"Really, Jaune?" She scoffed, almost sounding insulted, "You don't regret breaking your legs over absolutely _nothing_? Do you honestly care so little about your own well being that you'd possibly become crippled just so I don't lose a tiny bit of aura?" Blake's words held an almost biting force and yet Jaune couldn't help but chuckle, finally making his ebony haired girlfriend look up from her book to send him a seething glare.

"Blake, I've said this many times and I think it bares repeating again; if I can prevent my friends and loved ones getting hurt I don't care about the consequences. Sure, my legs getting busted sucks, but I don't want to see anyone be hurt on my watch. Especially not you. I would, and most likely _will_ , do it again in a heartbeat. I'm expendable, you're no-" his rant was interrupted as Blake's angry eyes bored into his from less than an inch away.

"Don't you dare suggest you're worth less than anyone else on this planet, Jaune Arc."

He flinched away from her, never having seen her so angry before. This whole thing was really affecting her, and he didn't know if it was because he had gotten hurt, or because he, in her eyes, seemed to think that she was someone who needed protecting. Maybe it was a little bit of both. "Sorry, I... it's hard to re-wire your brain. You know that. I've always thought I was worthless, and now I have the ability to protect the ones I love by taking the hits for them. The ability to do that doesn't go well with my self hate."

Blake's eyes softened slightly, but then hardened again as she turned away from him. She didn't seem to want to carry on the conversation any longer, knowing that there's no way she would win against him and his insistence on being the one in the right at the moment. She shelved that plan for later, and her eyes softened. Still locked on the book, she heard a shifting on the hospital bed, and her ears twitched in her bow. She looked over finally, and Jaune had moved into a more comfortable position on the bed. He almost looked peaceful, except for the small pained expression that seemed to take over his face every now and then.

If it was intentional or not, Blake had no idea, but it seemed like Jaune had scooted over to the edge of the bed, leaving a big, open space for anyone to take... Blake glanced down at her book for a moment, recalling how much more relaxed she usually felt when sitting leaning against Jaune's side as they read together in the library, before making her choice. She got up from her chair, not noticing how Jaune's eyes were tracking her from over the edge of his own book, and silently made her way onto his bed. She had always considered the hospital beds to be softer than the ones in their dorm, she guessed it was to help with students recovering, and with Jaune's warm side against hers as she settled down next to him she felt some of her nerves uncoiling.

Jaune glanced at his gorgeous and adorable kitty from the corner of his eye, happy she still wanted to feel physical contact despite being mad at him. He scooted a tiny bit closer to her, ignoring the stab of pain that coursed through his legs at the action, and Blake settled down even more comfortably as she could now rest her head on his shoulder as she continued to read.

They laid like that for the better part of an hour, just reading next to one another in silence, and soon enough, the sun had begun to fall. Blake looked outside at the sunset and back to Jaune. "You're not going to mind me sleeping on here, are you?" She asked softly. "Those chairs really are uncomfortable, and, you're really warm," she purred quietly, nuzzling into his shoulder.

"You can sleep with me on one condition," Jaune responded, and Blake stopped her nuzzling for a moment to look into his eyes. "You refrain from doing that kicking thing in your sleep. I don't want to know what it would feel like for you to kick my legs right now." Blake blushed.

"W-what kicking thing?"

Jaune sighed before answering, "Blake... I love you, you know that, but you're like an unruly cat when asleep. You can't stay still, it's like you're constantly chasing something in your dreams." Blake blushed harder, trying to hide her face behind her book, her earlier anger having dissipated some time ago.

"J-just hold me tight then..." she whispered as her ears flitted back and forth below her bow, a nervous habit of hers.

Jaune smiled down at her embarrassed visage, leaning down and kissing the top of her head softly, right in between her ears, before sneaking an arm around her side so he could pull her tighter against his body. "It's a deal then. You can sleep with me for as long as you want..."

Blake felt herself grow somewhat sleepy in Jaune's embrace, and she let out a yawn as Jaune did as she said and held her tightly against his warm chest. "But just so we're clear, if you kick my legs you're sleeping on the chair." Jaune added after a moment, and Blake debated on giving him a kick right then and there, but his warmth was too great to pass up for simple revenge.

"Shut up," she settled on mumbling. She was really, really tired now, just feeling the effects from today. With how worried she was about Jaune, she had paced all around her dorm until she had gotten the go ahead to come visit him. And even after that, she had wasted all of her energy trying to be mad with him.

Which never worked in the end. Despite how he drove her up the walls at times with either irritation or plain worry, Blake couldn't deny that Jaune was one of the best things to ever happen to her. He helped finish what her team had started, he helped her get out of her tightly knit shell and for that she was thankful.

"I love you..." she mumbled quietly as the grasping claws of sleep closed down around her, curling up against Jaune's, warm, comfortable, safe side.

"I love you too, Blake." Those were the last words she heard before she fell asleep.

 **AN: Got a suggestion or an idea for what I should write in this little collection? Leave a review. As much as these stories are for me, I really do like seeing what ideas other people might have.**

 **Until next time.**


	3. Sharing

**Sharing**

 **AN: Just like the last chapter, this is one I've dug up from our Google docs archive and re-edited.**

 **I know things have slowed down significantly recently and that this might be disappointing to those who got used to mine and Lone's previous, hectic update schedule, but things have just been all kinds of rough these past months. Hell, almost this past _year._ A lot of shit is happening and with the end of the year less than a month away we're both really tired. As such, will things change soon? I honestly can't say. _I_ want things to change, for me and Lone to get our old rhythm back, but, as I've learned this year, neither of us control enough of our lives to be able to promise anything. School is over soon for me at least, and when that happens I hopefully won't be as stressed and tired as I am now.**

 **If you read this author's notes, I thank you, and now, please enjoy this silly piece of fluff.**

Thanks to her almost regal upbringing, Weiss Schnee had become used to many things, especially things related to food. For hours each day when she was younger she had been schooled on correct eating etiquette, which spoon or fork to use during which part of the meal, how to sit while eating or talking over dinner, how to hold her utensils and glass, and just how much was proper to place onto her fork. But when she enrolled at Beacon some of these lessons disappeared thanks to her team and friends. She became less rigid over time and now she could eat without worrying about if her fingers were on the correct place on her spoon, but she doubted she would ever become as... _happy_ of an eater as Jaune.

He ate every meal with gusto, somehow being able to savour the taste of whatever he just shoved into his mouth while eating at a pace that made Ruby's cookie eating seem like one of Nora's beloved sloths'. According to him it was because his mom always said that a meal that didn't make you want to devour it was no meal at all.

Weiss wasn't grossed out by it, he didn't eat messily despite his speed after all, but one part of his eating habits did irk her.

He _always_ wanted to share his food with someone. It didn't matter if it was breakfast in the cafeteria or an expensive dinner at a fancy restaurant, and it didn't matter if it was with her, Ren, Pyrrha, Blake, Coco, or Sun. Whenever he found that some food was tasty he would offer the next bite of it to whoever was willing.

The two who accepted the most often were Ruby and Nora, though on occasion Yang couldn't deny the offer that was free food. Weiss had never shared her food with anyone before. Maybe when she was little, it had been acceptable for her big sis to feed her a bite off of her plate, and her parents wouldn't have said anything about it because of how old she was, but as she grew up, she had been taught to leave a clean plate. As in, eat everything. And if you were full before the meal was over, to just try, because it was bad manners to leave food on the plate. Their family chef was world famous, and didn't like it when you 'disrespected his meals' in such a way.

That being said, Weiss could understand his habits. Having apparently grown up with seven siblings, it was no doubt that he would have been taught to share. Even if the thing he was sharing was food. His parents wouldn't have seen it as disrespectful because they more than likely had been the ones to cook the meal. But Jaune wasn't at home now, he was at Beacon, and that his sharing habits hadn't ceased yet... it was just weird to Weiss.

Whenever he offered a bit of his food, someone would raise their hands excitedly and then lean in, and he would stab some on his fork, or gather some in his spoon, and place it in their mouth. With Ruby this was adorable, in a weird way. With Nora, it was kind of scary, because her mouth was like a vacuum cleaner. With Sun, or anyone else really, it was just ridiculous. Sun seemed to just play it off like he was gay for Jaune, and the two of them got a laugh out of that. Especially considering that Sun was, in fact, very gay. That was just a fact. And Jaune being into guys, at least somewhat, made it even funnier. For everyone except her. She was just caught up on the fact that he could shamelessly spoon feed a fully grown man.

And if that wasn't bad enough, he didn't even change the spoon Before continuing to eat! Jaune Arc, her, as in Weiss hopefully Arc soon Schnee's, boyfriend, had retroactively kissed both Sun and Ren at least 50 times right in front of her. She wasn't a germophobe, but she couldn't deny it was just plain weird at times. Especially when Yang was on the receiving end of one of Jaune's forks or spoons.

Yang always looked like she was toying with the food Jaune gave her anytime he shared, and Weiss knew it was just her flirtatious nature, but it still maybe made her a tiny bit jealous. She didn't want Jaune to kiss someone that wasn't her, even if it was retroactively, but she didn't want to ask him to stop sharing his food.

So she knew she had only one option left...

She had to swallow her pride, and unlearn everything she had ever learned about etiquette and table manners. She sat to the left of Jaune, making sure she was as close to him as possible. She hung on his left arm tightly, and when the time came she was sure to be ready for it. It was a quiet day, like any other really, but today she knew she was going to potentially embarrass herself in ways that she wouldn't be able to fix. People's views of her were going to change.

Jaune cleared his throat. And before he could even get the words out, Weiss tugged at his hoodie. He smiled and looked down at her, and that's the moment he died. Weiss' expression was one of silent pleading, and it was just so cute that Jaune couldn't help the fact that his heart skipped at least a million beats. Meaning it stopped working for a very long time.

"Can I have a bite of that, Jaune?" She asked in a small voice.

Despite technically being a zombie at this point, Jaune smiled, happily spearing one of his sauce covered meatballs and bringing it to his Snow Angel's mouth. "Of course, Snow Angel." He ignored the shocked looks everyone around the table were giving them, none of them apparently able to comprehend the prospect of Weiss Schnee being fed by _anything_ , and just kept smiling as he waited for Weiss to take his meatball into her mouth.

Weiss stared at the small, brown ball being offered to her, feeling as if it was taunting her, with cheeks that felt like someone had covered her face with fire dust. This was the most embarrassing thing she could remember ever doing in public, and that included the time where she drunkenly got Jaune and Yang to kiss. Biting back every shred of pride and looking into Jaune's eyes for support, she slowly opened her mouth and let Jaune push the meatball into her maw before her lips closed around it.

The sight of his blushing Angel closing her lips around the fork was honestly enough to put Jaune into a coma for the next nine years. He could feel her pull a Yang and taste the meatball with her tongue before pulling it off the fork. Yang was nearly shutting down from how cute it was, and Blake honestly couldn't take her eyes off the scene. It was like all of her shipping dreams were coming true once again. Ruby couldn't stop gushing to herself how cute her partner was, and everyone else, well they were just staring in amazement.

Jaune watched Weiss chew and then swallow, and she kept her eyes firmly on Jaune, to avoid any more embarrassment. She didn't say anything more, but she opened her mouth again, and Jaune died for the second time. This time he swirled some of the noodles onto the fork, and then gently placed it in her mouth again. Her taste buds exploded in joy at the taste, which suddenly seemed much greater than it ever had before, and much better than the boring salad on her plate. She couldn't stop the small moan from escaping.

Across from them at the table, Yang fainted and fell backwards off her chair, though no one noticed.

Weiss was blushing madly, Jaune was smiling happily, Ruby was bouncing in her seat, Blake was furiously writing notes, and Pyrrha's heart imploded as she watched more and more of Jaune's food disappear, the food she wanted to be fed to _her_. Nora and Ren merely shrugged, Nora digging into her pancakes and Ren going back to sipping his tea.

As the 6th fork of food left Weiss' beautiful and soft lips, Jaune got an idea. He picked up another meatball with sauce and brought it to his Snow Angel's lips, but just Before she had the chance to close her mouth around his fork he quickly brought the meatball bearing fork to his own mouth. He bit into half the yummy... well, _meat_ of the meatball, seeing Weiss' lips tighten into a cute pout, before leaning down and offering his Snow Angel the tasty food with a smile.

Weiss accepted, another small, happy moan coming from her chest. Though she was terribly red in the face, she felt that she could absolutely get used to this. Jaune feeding her felt surprisingly good, and her heart warmed every time he brought a bit to her lips. Whether it was with his own, or a fork. Jaune pulled away, offering her the biggest smile he could before he took a bit for himself. Weiss felt a little left out when he did, but turned back to her salad with a pout.

She poked at the mountain of green and red and purple on her plate, and felt a sense of emptiness when she took a bit. Maybe the salad, much in the way that his spaghetti did, tasted better when it was fed to her by Jaune. She, once again, tugged on his hoodie and offered him a pleading look.

Jaune looked down at her plate of salad, then at her adorable yet heartbreakingly pleading expression and he knew he needed to help his Snow Angel more. He picked up his fork again and quickly impaled one of the unsuspecting and, probably, innocent tomatoes on Weiss' plate, bringing it to her lips. She quickly munched down on it and Jaune felt his heart begin beating again only to skip a beat from the absolutely deadly amounts of cute Weiss was projecting. He watched her chew on the red vegetable before swallowing and opening her mouth for more.

Another tomato disappeared, and then some green lettuce, then some of Jaune's pasta again, and then a piece of gurkin...

Weiss smiled, cheeks still flushed. She didn't know how, but Jaune did make food taste far better.

Sooner or later, everyone got bored of watching (everyone except Blake, who was still very much interested and furiously taking notes), and her salad was gone. Weiss curled up to his side and laid her head on his shoulder as he finished off his own food, and when he was done as well she pulled him down for a kiss. "Thank you, Jaune..."

"Anything for you, my Angel."


	4. Trust

**Trust**

It been a long time since Neo had been _this_ angry and hurt. She felt as if she wanted to kill something, _violently,_ to just maim and destroy without reason, but at the same time, another part of her just wanted to crawl up and be left alone. She could feel the crowds' eyes on her as she stomped away from the burning building, her angry exterior making them fearfully step out of her way as she passed lest they become the unwilling subject to her wrath.

For once, Neo felt like she wasn't surrounded by idiots.

This shouldn't have happened. _None_ of what had transpired inside the building behind her should have happened. She had been following every single part of the plan and then, suddenly, she had been surrounded; attacked from all sides in an ambush a _child_ could have seen coming but she hadn't gotten _any_ warningabout. She'd been _used—again—_ by someone she thought she could trust.

That was why she was so angry—so _hurt._ It wasn't because she'd had to fight her way out of the building, not because of the stab wound marring her shoulder, slowly dying her pristine, white jacket red, and not because the mission as a whole had been a complete failure.

 _He_ had told her that she wouldn't have to worry about any ambushes, that _he'd_ take care of it. That's why she hadn't reacted to the obvious signs that had lead her to be surrounded. She had _trusted him._

Not stopping, Neo wiped angrily at her eyes as she could feel the burning sensation of tears begin to well up inside them. She knew she needed to get out of the area before any police showed up, that she needed to hide her identity, but her thoughts were too jumbled for her to will her Semblance to work. Instead, she just kept walking, not caring where exactly she was actually going.

Firefighters had begun arriving on the scene, rushing towards what was left of the burning, former White Fang hideout, but lucky for her, they didn't seem to pay her any attention.

' _Why…? Why did this happen…? You were supposed to be **different!** ' _Neo lamented inside her head as more tears threatened to spill from her heterochromatic eyes. Her anger was still there, bubbling inside her like a seething cauldron of rage, but it was slowly being overshadowed by the pain. And it wasn't her arm that was hurting so much either, it was her chest. Her heart felt like a white hot needle made of pure betrayal had been thrust into it and she couldn't find any way to dislodge it.

First Roman and now _him…_

Despite her best efforts, Neo just couldn't stop the slow trickle of tears that began to make their way down her pale cheeks. In the battle raging within her heart, sorrow ended up as the ultimate victor.

She thought it wouldn't be as bad as the last time, that what had happened when Roman had used her as bait without telling her would have hardened her to something like this, but no, it hurt so much more. She hadn't trusted Roman like she had _him,_ hadn't bared as much of herself as she had to _him_ _-_ …

Mid-step, Neo suddenly froze.

For a second, she was sure her mind was playing tricks on her, that she'd just seen a random mop of blonde hair and her thoughts had immediately gone to _him_ , but even as she blinked several times, _he_ was still standing there, peering out over the crowd, seemingly looking for someone.

As if someone had thrown pure gasoline upon a bed of almost burned out cinders, her anger flared up once again and she resumed her walk with renewed purpose. She didn't even notice that she was still crying openly as she marched towards _him,_ ocean blue eyes searching frantically for something. With equal parts hurt and anger, she figured it was her _he_ was looking for, that _he_ wanted to see whether she was alive or dead so _he'd_ know if _he_ should be watching over _his_ shoulder during the coming days or if she'd been successfully _removed…_

Gritting her teeth, Neo quickened her pace, preparing herself for a possible chase should _he_ decide to try and run away. She needed to do something. When it had happened with Roman she hadn't made him pay in any meaningful way, never claimed any sort of revenge, but this time she would. She needed to. It hurt too much for her to just ignore it. She'd make _him_ feel her pain too...

But then _his_ eyes finally landed on her small form and she faltered.

Dark brown and vibrant pink met deep cobalt, and suddenly Neo didn't know what she was feeling anymore.

A multitude of emotions crossed Jaune's face in a split second as he looked at her; astonishment, recognition, elation, relief, fear, anger, and then back to relief again. Neo's expression, however, stayed somewhere between anger and shock—frozen just like her body.

Before Neo even had the time to _begin_ to process the new surge of thoughts flowing inside her head, Jaune was sprinting over to her and just when she started to get some semblance of control over her petrified limbs, he threw his arms around her and pulled her into an almost crushing hug, stunning her body right back into a frozen state.

"Oh thank dust you're alive..." she heard him whisper hoarsely. "I am so, so, _so_ sorry, Neo..."

Not once had Neo imagined that _this_ might be the reaction she would be met with when Jaune found out she had made it out alive. All she could do was remain stiff in his arms as she tried in vain to make sense of the storm of emotions surging through her heart.

She wanted to think that this was all a ruse to try and avoid her anger, that he figured running was pointless and instead was going to try to use deception to placate her. But the way that he held her… the sincerity that rang in his words… the relief that she'd seen on his face... it only made her already confused emotions more jumbled.

"I should have seen the ambush coming... I should have warned you or just told you take another route..." Jaune's voice was practically shaking as he continued to hold Neo close, as if she'd disappear the moment he let her go. "I just got so caught up in trying to plan out a path that would make sure you didn't run into one of the other teams that I forgot to check for potential ambush spots, and then I wasn't able to radio in like I'd planned when all our teams converged earlier than I'd expected and I just..."

As his rambling died down, Jaune finally managed to lessen his grip on Neo, leaning back so that their eyes could meet again. He was almost panting at this point, his mouth half opening and then closing again as if he had several thousands more words he wanted to say but could get out.

"I… I'm sorry, Neo… so sorry. I should have been more observant and it's all my fault things fell apart..."

As he hung his head in shame, Neo's mind went into overdrive trying to comprehend all the things that Jaune had just told her.

Could it be that this _wasn't_ like what had happened with Roman? Was it possible that she _hadn't_ been betrayed? Had everything just been a mistake?

Despite what she'd felt just minutes earlier, Neo felt herself begin to yearn for this to be the truth. She didn't want her faith in Jaune to be misplaced. She _wanted_ to trust him, more than anything.

She _longed_ to feel _safe_ with him again…

Just as Neo opened her mouth to say something, a sudden lance of pain arced through her wounded arm and she wasn't able to stop the quiet groan of pain that escaped her. She quickly forgot about it, though, as Jaune's head shot up and his eyes hurriedly scanned over her whole body. He was quick to zero in on her shoulder and she could only watch as his face flashed through a myriad of different emotions once again, before he stood up and slipped one of his arms behind her knees while the other supported her upper back, hoisting her off the ground in a bridal carry.

"You need to put pressure on that wound until we can find a medic," he said as soon as she was settled firmly in his arms, his worried expression betraying the firmness of his voice as his eyes searched the area for any medical teams.

Neo was hardly even aware that she followed Jaune's order as she kept on watching his face. Her thoughts were finally starting to settle down, and as they did, a tiredness fell over her body. Her fight earlier, coupled with the blood loss, had taken its toll on her, but it wasn't until now that she let her senses register the fact.

The anger and sadness that had occupied her thoughts so heavily was slowly being replaced by relief. She knew that there was more to discuss between her and Jaune, both about what had happened and what they were going to do next, but now…

Now Neo felt herself begin to relax for the first time in several hours. In Jaune's arms. Where she felt safe once again.

 **AN: It's been almost eight months. Eight months since I uploaded something... time sure flies when you're stressed like hell because of school!**

 **Seriously though, this year has not exactly been sunshine and rainbows for me so far. School has been a nightmare and even though I managed to pass all my classes, I'm far from proud of my grades and the work I did. It has genuinely been months since I was able to go a day without feeling awful either because I was angry at my performance in school or because I didn't have the energy to write. As much as I love doing this whole writing thing, either by myself or with Lonely, it's a very draining hobby, both mentally and emotionally.**

 **I'm sorry for having been absent for so long, especially after all the notes I've left in mine and Lonely's stories about how there wouldn't be eons between each upload, but I had no idea just how stressful my life would become when I wrote those things. I also want to thank everyone who has sent me messages asking if I'm doing okay; it means a lot to me, and I apologize for not answering them like I should have, I felt too ashamed and tired to do so properly.**

 **We'll see what the future holds for me, since I really can't say at the moment...**


	5. Soothing

**Soothing**

Whether he knew about it or not, Yang Xiao Long felt that Jaune Arc possessed a very special trait that rarely anyone had been able to bear witness to. To most, he was just the goofy, sort of odd leader of team JNPR. He didn't stand out much when compared to the people he had surrounded himself with; people such as a world renowned champion like Pyrrha, a prodigy like Ruby, or the explosive personalities of Nora and Yang herself.

However, Jaune had a rather well hidden _ability,_ one that was thought to be lost to the ages.

The fearsome Arc family skill of looking absolutely, irresistibly _adorable_ when he slept.

Yang really had no idea just how in the world he did it, but as soon as the Knight's deep blue eyes closed and his body relaxed, it was downright _impossible_ for her to _not_ hug him close like a massive, blond teddy bear. It was like he was suddenly _made_ to be cuddled.

In the wrong hands, she shuddered to think about just what kind of terror a power such as this could unleash, but those kinds of thoughts were quickly swept away whenever she felt Jaune shift against her.

Yang had to suppress a coo as her fellow blond snuggled closer into her embrace, his head resting on the comfortable pillows her chest had been so generously blessed with. Gently, she ran on of her hands comfortingly through his hair, feeling his slow, even breaths tickle the upper, exposed part of her chest (she enjoyed seeing how flustered she could make Jaune by leaving the first few buttons of her blouse undone), her heart swelling within it when he murmured something unintelligible. She'd been laying here with him, on his bed, just watching him sleep for close to an hour now and she couldn't be further from bored. From what she had been able to gather from context clues, he had just come back from a very lengthy study session with Weiss and Pyrrha, yawning widely as soon as he'd walked through the door, and it hadn't taken more than her putting away the comic she'd been reading and patting her lap for him to amble over and collapse against her with a mumbled "You're the best" before sleep overtook him.

At first, Yang had figured it was her big sister instincts that made her want to snuggle up and never let go of the sleeping Jaune, but she had quickly realized that she wasn't alone when it came to being affected by his adorableness. Whenever he dosed off, she could easily tell that it was hard for everyone nearby, herself included of course, to not get closer to him. He just looked so peaceful and pure, truly an innocent cinnamon roll too precious for this world.

Many times she'd walked in on one of her teammates or friends taking 'advantage' of his sleeping form; resting his head on their lap, playing with his hair like she was prone to do, or even sleeping beside him themselves. Had this been any other situation, Yang was almost certain that she'd be extremely jealous at the mere prospect of someone _stealing_ her Knight from her, but considering the circumstances, she really couldn't blame any of her friends. To do so would be completely unreasonable on her part.

Jaune was simply too cute in his resting state.

Hell, Yang was pretty damn sure she'd spotted _the_ Glynda Goodwitch _ignoring_ her boyfriend in one of the rare instances of him showing off his tremendous _power_ when he had clearly fallen asleep in class rather than giving him a stern lecture or any punishment. Not even someone as strong-willed as their teacher could seemingly force herself to disturb Jaune's slumber.

What the fiery blonde loved the most about playing pillow for Jaune, though, was just how soothing his presence became. Sure, just being around him tended to make her happier, but when he was asleep it was different. He made _her_ feel calmer just by being in a calm state himself, making her head clearer and chasing away any bad thought she might have had. Things just felt more _right_ when she was able to hold him like this, as if the problems of the world weren't as daunting.

All of it just by sleeping in her arms.

Yang hoped she'd be able to share many more of these moments with her Knight throughout her life—throughout _their_ lives. Sadly, however, it seemed it was time for this particular one to end, and she'd be lying if that didn't cause a small twinge of disappointment shoot through her heart. She could feel Jaune begin to stir in her arms, his adorableness still remaining at a weapons grade level, and she leaned down to kiss his forehead as his eyes began to flutter open.

"Morning sleepyhead~..." she teased gently with a tone that reflected much more serenity than it did actual mirth.

"Yang…?" Jaune mumbled blearily in reply before being cut off by a big yawn. He started trying to get up into a sitting position, only to find that there were a pair of very sturdy arms keeping him nuzzled close to his girlfriend's bust. The realization that they were in such a 'compromising' position made a dark blush sprout on his cheeks and he tried once again to get out of Yang's powerful embrace.

It failed.

Yang herself could only giggle at her Knight's completely hopeless attempts at escaping her arms. It would take a _far_ greater force than all the Grimm on Remnant to get her to release her favorite snuggle-buddy, and while Jaune had certainly gained some absolutely _delicious_ muscle since they both enrolled at Beacon, he wasn't exactly on _that_ level of strength quite yet.

"What's wrong, Lover-boy? I thought you liked hugs~," she continued to tease, pulling her helpless _victim_ closer against her chest. Her mention of his nickname got exactly the reaction she had hoped for as Jaune's face flushed further, and his struggling became more and more desperate. To her, an embarrassed Jaune was almost as adorable as a sleeping Jaune, the only difference being that a sleeping Jaune calmed her down as well while an embarrassed Jaune only made her want to toy with him some more.

She could see the cogwheels turning inside his head as he tried to get his tongue working properly. His mouth opened and closed a few times with no actual words coming out, only making Yang giggle harder. As amusing as she found him to be in this state, however, in the end she decided to give his lips something better to do as she pulled Jaune in even closer, kissing him softly.

Immediately, all struggling from him stopped, even if his blush never lost any of its intensity.

"Just relax, Jaune," Yang whispered as they parted, smiling happily down at him. She brought one of her hands back up to his head, playing with his hair just like before, and she could tell Jaune wasn't going anywhere.

Without meeting any resistance this time, she pulled Jaune to her chest again, still running her fingers through his blond locks. She knew he was listening to her heartbeat. He always did when they were in this position.

Softly, Yang started to hum as she settled back against Jaune's pillows. There was no particular melody to it, but it just felt natural to her when she had her boyfriend here with her—when she felt so happy.

Neither of them knew how long they stayed like that in the end.

All they knew was that they were both happy, comfortable, and that they wanted to be able to stay like that forever.

It was why the thing that Pyrrha and Ruby found when they came back to team JNPR's dorm later that evening, many hours after Jaune had returned there, was a pair of cuddling blondes, both sleeping soundly.

...

Or at least they _were_ , until Ruby jumped onto the bed with them, hellbent on getting revenge on her sister for missing her and Penny's demonstration on why robot Dragons should be a mandatory defense mechanism in every household in Vale…

 **AN: Just for the record, _this_ is the kind of Yang I like to see or write about. The big sister type, not the flirty party girl that I have personally seen way too much of… or the nymphomaniac penetration addict that I genuinely _hate_ accidentally seeing when I try to find something on rule 34…**

 **This is my first attempt at what I believe is classed as freeform writing; just writing the first thing that pops into your head instead of hammering out a detailed idea like I usually do. I'd also like to give a shoutout to my very good friend that goes by Rose. She inspired quite a bit of the cuddling in this fic from the way that she talks about her boyfriend.**


	6. Morning Pancakes

**Morning pancakes**

 **A/N: Since I've been so out of the loop canon-wise, I actually didn't know about Nora and Ren both being orphans, and as such this is an AU where they are alive because I do mention them briefly in the story. Whether it's a Remnant AU or a real world AU, however, is up to you, dear reader.**

Nora had never really been the heaviest of sleepers. Well into her late teens she'd always been awake bright and early, ready to take on the day with a seemingly unlimited supply of energy, much to her parents' chagrin. Sleeping in just wasn't for her, or at least that was what she _had_ thought until she started sharing a bed with someone else. Things had changed almost instantly then, and staying in bed on the weekend mornings, snuggling, had rapidly become one of her favorite things to do.

She could hardly remember a moment when she'd seen Ren happier than when she had watched him wake up on his own, late in the morning, from her position in her own bed at the other side of the room...

She'd quickly become used to the feeling of falling asleep and waking up with someone else close to her. It made her feel... relaxed in a way she had a hard time experiencing on her own.

It was because of this that the moment that Nora felt herself become roused from her peaceful slumber, she could immediately tell that something was terribly, horrendously, _downright apocalyptically_ wrong with the very fabric of the world. In her recently awoken state she couldn't tell _what_ exactly was wrong, but there was a terrible sinking feeling in her gut that she never felt unless something wasn't _right_ on a dangerously large scale. Blearily and sluggishly she wiped at her tired eyes, only to be blinded as the warm rays of the morning sun streaming in from the open window facing the bed hit her right in the face. As she moved her arm to shield herself from the harsh light, realization dawned on her with the force of one of her own Magnhild swings.

There were no arms hugging her close around her waist, nor had her face been buried the crook of a neck that she just loved the smell of. Worst of all, though, was that she felt that her entire body was resting on the mattress of the bed rather than pressed against the single most warm and comfortable chest in the known universe.

Suddenly feeling wide awake, Nora shot up into a sitting position on the large bed, frantically scanning the room for any sign of the person she knew she had fallen asleep next to the night before, yet she found nothing and her heart sank at the damn near _criminal_ absence of cute, goofy blonds in the immediate vicinity.

The devastating error in reality itself had been found: Jaune wasn't there.

For the past few days of their summer break, Nora had been staying with Jaune, her now boyfriend, at his family's house in his home town of Ville, and every morning before this one, she'd woken up to the image of his adorable sleeping face right in front of her, bathed in the morning light. The lack of said sight today irked her to a degree that almost anyone else would have found ludicrous, but to her was completely and utterly justified.

Straining her ears, the ginger Bomber could hear that she wasn't the only one awake already and that someone had already started making breakfast. Following that, she heard the much more distinct and nearby sound of a toilet flushing and hope rose up within her that Jaune had simply gone to use the bathroom quickly and he'd be back any second now.

However, that potential second wasn't one that Nora was willing to wait at the moment and she quickly jumped out of the bed and headed out into the upstairs hallway of the Arc household, only to meet a seemingly half-awake Clair Arc rather than Jaune like she'd been hoping.

For a second, their eyes met, and it wasn't until Clair's sleepy gaze descended and her eyes widened that Nora noticed the state of her own dress.

Blushing, she swiftly buttoned up the previously opened shirt she'd been wearing, Clair recognizing it as one of her son's shirts even as she tried to forget the fact that she'd just been flashed by his girlfriend.

"Morning Mrs- Clair!" Nora said awkwardly as she finished covering herself up at least somewhat, her cheeks still a rosy shade of pink.

"Good morning to you too, Nora," Clair replied with a small chuckle before a yawn forced its way from her lips. "I have to say, I'm surprised to see anyone other than myself awake this early in the morning. Did you not sleep well?"

"Nonono!" Nora was quick to reassure before continuing on, "I slept like rock, and I wouldn't exactly call this early. It's already a quarter to ten after all."

"What are you talking about?" Clair said with a tired, but still incredulous tone, "My alarm hasn't even gone off yet so it _can't_ be later than half past six. I only got up now to use the bathroom..."

Halfway through her sentience, the Arc matriarch sent a look over to clock hanging on the wall in the hallway and when she saw that Nora was in fact right, she quickly trailed off, the cogwheels turning inside her head practically visible to the Bomber.

The slumping of her shoulders along with the weary sigh leaving her lips seemed to mark Clair coming to an understanding of the situation she was in. "I slept through my damn alarm… I haven't done that since Rose was still in diapers," she lamented.

Nora was just about to ask what the big deal was when Clair began walking past her, clearly intent on heading downstairs. "You and Jaune can stay in bed a bit longer while I start fixing up some breakfast for us. Though it might be a bit more like brunch when it's done, at least for this household," she called back over her shoulder.

"Oh, Jaune's already up," Nora said as she made to follow Clair, still intent on finding her elusive boyfriend now that his absolutely painful absence from her bed had left her wide awake. "I actually thought it was him in the bathroom and you downstairs in the kitchen…"

Abruptly, both Clair and Nora stopped.

There was still noise coming from the kitchen.

It wasn't hard for the pair to put two and two together, but still they made their way downstairs to make absolutely sure that their shared conclusion was the correct. Halfway down, however, they stopped once again as their noses caught the distinct smell hanging in the air. They shared a quick glance at one another before heading to the doorway leading to the kitchen proper and peering inside.

Standing by the stove with his back turned to them, humming some indistinct tune and with a well worn apron around his waist, was Jaune himself, frying pan in hand as he prepared to flip the deliciously golden brown pancake cooking inside it. With a practiced flick of his wrist, he sent the disc of fluff flying into the air where it quickly turned upside down before falling back down and landing perfectly in the pan once more.

After a few seconds, he'd be able to add the pancake to the already large stack sitting on a plate beside him on the counter and as he checked on how much batter he had left, he idly noted he'd need to wake up Nora and his mom pretty soon. The only other person aside from the three of them in the house this morning was Rouge, and Jaune knew that any attempts to wake her´before noon on one of her vacation days would only end with him being dragged into bed with her to be used as a cuddle-toy while his crimson haired sister mumbled about him being the only worthy survivor after she went on some sort of Chaotic, black colored crusade (and sometimes about how she was a more worthy Warmaster of something called the Black Legion than some Failbbadon fellow). This was information he'd learned from _many_ years of personal experience.

Jaune's thoughts about his sleepily affectionate sister's antics were interrupted when he was suddenly hugged from behind by a certain someone and he had to hold back a laugh at how she was practically radiating glee.

"Morning Nora," he said as he got himself a big kiss on the cheek by the happy ginger in question.

"Pancakes!" was all Nora squealed excitedly in reply as she began bombarding her boyfriend's cheek with kisses. But then she remembered something very important and just as suddenly as she had started, she stopped the assault, a pout coming to her face as Jaune turned to face her after unloading his finished pancake.

"Something wrong?" the blonde asked, honestly confused as to what caused the sudden mood change.

"Hell yeah something's wrong!" Nora huffed grumpily. "Why did I wake up _alone_ in my bed this morning?!"

"And, if I may add, why did _I_ wake up only a couple of minutes ago instead of with my alarm?" Clair asked from her spot leaning on the door frame, making her presence known to her son, amusement playing on her features.

Jaune looked between the two for a short moment before he jabbed a thumb towards the stack of pancakes beside him. "Pancakes," he said simply, making Clair let out a snort, her smile only widening.

His answer wasn't enough for Nora, however, who let out a very Weiss-like huff again before hugging her boyfriend once more. Grumpily. Somehow.

It was Jaune's turn to laugh as he began putting away his cooking utensils. Only his Valkyrie could try to express her displeasure with a given situation by affectionately hugging the person she was supposedly upset with.

"Oh my queen, please forgive this humble knight for abandoning you in your waking hour of need," he said overdramatically, turning to face Nora as Clair only laughed more at just how much he sounded like his father just now, though the tone was short lived. "And sorry to you too, mom. I should have asked you before turning off your alarm. It's just that I know that Nora likes her pancakes made in a specific way and I wanted to make sure they were perfect." As he spoke, Jaune put his arms around Nora, returning her hug and kissing her atop her ginger head.

Try as she might, Nora just couldn't stay grumpy when she was embraced like this, and it didn't help either that Jaune's reason for leaving her to wake up alone turned out to be really sweet and thoughtful, at least to her. With a small blush, she turned to look up into his smiling face, aquamarine meeting deep sapphire, and after a moment she stood up on her toes so she could touch her nose gently against his.

"Boop…" she whispered, and Jaune understood exactly what she meant by the simple gesture.

Clair remained silent as she watched her son and his girlfriend. She was still smiling, but it wasn't one just filled with mirth anymore.

' _Careful you two, any sweeter and my teeth will rot out,'_ she thought as the couple shared a quick kiss before Jaune declared that it was time for the pancakes he'd made for them all to be eaten and some of Nora's normal, seemingly bottomless enthusiasm quickly returned. Cynical comments about young love and how fleeting she knew it could be tried to fill her head, but one glance at Jaune's smile was enough for them to fly completely out the window. When he looked at Nora, Clair could tell that he was happier than ever, and while she didn't know Nora very well yet, she was certain that the girl too shared this look of special happiness.

Of love.

As Clair took her seat at the table and Jaune put a pancake on her plate, Nora had just finished lathering up her first golden brown disc of the day with strawberry jam. She was looking down on its red smeared surface, ready to cut it to pieces and begin shoveling them into her mouth, when suddenly an urge surged through her. Something about sitting here with Jaune and his mother, about to eat the pancakes he'd gotten up early to specifically make _for_ her just made her want to do something.

Letting go of her fork, she reached out and grabbed Jaune's hand, giving it a squeeze and making him look over at her.

"Hey Jaune…" she said, eyes still on her pancake, a silly smile on her lips. "I love you lots…"

...

"You two are going to give me the _cutest_ grandchildren imaginable!" Clair exclaimed just as Jaune opened his mouth to reply.

In unison, both Jaune and Nora choked on the pancake they'd just put into their mouths.

 **A/N: Next chapter might be a bit more serious, than these last two. It's either going to be Dragonslayer or Silent Knight depending on what mood I'm in when the muse strikes again, though I won't deny that you lovely people reading this may have some influence on my decision in the end so if you prefer one over the other go ahead and leave a review.**

 **Until next time.**


	7. M rated: Ecstasy

**Ecstasy**

Neo writhed happily upon the soft covers of the hotel bed as the tongue teasing her sensitive folds continued its _merciless_ assault, her legs twitching from the seemingly endless waves of pleasure shooting up her spine. Her face was the very picture of blissful and the soft moans coming from between her lips mirrored said image. Her thighs were resting comfortably on either side of _his_ head with her legs locked behind it, though she was trying her best to not tighten them too much since she knew just how much he enjoyed taking his time while pleasing her with his tongue. It was one of the many things she loved about him _._

A sudden gasp left Neo's lips as she felt a pair of fingers gently spread apart her lower lips and the pleasure she was already feeling increased what felt like tenfold as his tongue pushed into her, her hands reaching out to grasp at something, anything, to try and steady herself as new waves of ecstasy rolled over her mind.

She could feel her fingers brush against something soft which she quickly identified as hishair and she didn't hesitate to begin stroking it tenderly. As lost as she could feel herself becoming in the pleasure, Neo still found enough restraint and fortitude for this small act of affection, one that caused a pair of deep sapphire eyes to open and look down upon her panting visage. _His_ eyes.

" _Jaune..."_ Neo sighed almost drunkenly as she felt the boy in question lean into her touch, his tongue's movements stopping for a moment as she played with his messy, blond locks. He loved the feeling of her playing with his hair almost as much as _she_ loved playing with it in the first place. As soon as he noticed the disappearance of her moans, however, he quickly got back to the task at hand, lifting Neo's small body up off the mattress so that only her shoulders remained in contact with the bed, the rest of her weight being supported by him.

Jaune could feel the shudder that passed through Neo as he gently kissed her clit, her breath audibly catching in her throat, but he didn't focus on the sensitive nerve bundle. Not yet. Right now, he just wanted to make Neo feel good. Closing his eyes, he began placing long licks upon her core, his broad tongue almost covering Neo's pussy entirely, but his pace remained slow and constant.

"Ah!"

Before she'd met him, Neo's sex life had been one of a far more promiscuous nature. She'd sought out plenty of men and women to share her bed with and while in _some_ ways she remembered those times as being fun, thinking back to them now left her with a bad taste in her mouth. Because that had been a time before Jaune. Before she knew how it felt to be loved so much by someone.

When they were together, Jaune didn't have sex with her, he didn't _fuck_ her; he made love to her. To her, if felt like he worshiped her body as if it was temple to the gods in any way he could, regardless of his rather lacking experience regarding the matter, letting all his emotions pour into his actions, regardless of if he knew it or not.

During their first time, Neo had never felt such a thing before. Her body had been steaming with lust and desire, yet when Jaune had kissed her after laying her down on the bed, it wasn't her lips that she'd felt it the most.

Instead, it had been her heart that had been affected…

New sensations and emotions had flooded her at the time, making her freeze in his arms, but then, suddenly, a feeling of happiness to an extent she'd thought impossible had bloomed in her heart and she'd poured all of _her_ emotions, both old and new, into her kiss as she had caught his lips in return.

With her body quivering in his arms, Neo peered at Jaune in between her legs once again, an almost lovesick look in her eyes that almost made the Knight stop his gentle prodding of her sensitive pearl.

" _You're my everything..."_ she whispered, her voice practically soundless to anyone except Jaune. Had she not been beneath his touch, she would have giggled at the blush warming his cheeks, but any noise she attempted just turned into a mewl or gasp of ecstasy.

To Neo, everything about being with Jaune felt _right_. He made her very _soul_ happy and content, and after living so long in the world of crime, being able to trust someone like she did him let her relax completely, something she'd never been able to do around Roman. That's why thinking of her past sexual encounters made her uncomfortable; it made her remember a part of her life where these feelings inside her hadn't existed and she hadn't had _him_ at her side. She didn't even want to _imagine_ such a scenario at the moment, much less remember it. She _could_ never and _would_ never go back to a life of sex that didn't involve the love and affection that Jaune made her feel. Not if she could help it.

Suddenly, Neo's mind turned completely blank and any muscle control she'd tried to contain was lost as she arched her back and thrust her hips against Jaune's tongue. Her clit was caught between his lips and after all the teasing he'd done to the little nub, _sensitive_ didn't even come close to describe the state it was in.

The pleasure was absolutely intoxicating, only made better by the fact it was Jaune that made her feel it in the first place, and she knew that there was no way she'd be able to hold back much longer.

Neo's eyes went wide and her mouth fell open as she felt herself slip over that edge her Knight had been making her balance on for what felt to her like a tortuously long time. Her hips shook against his mouth as a splashing of her nectar met his face. However, no sound left her lips. All throughout her orgasm, the small illusionist couldn't manage to make a single noise.

As Neo's body started to seize up beneath his touch, Jaune's eyes rose to meet her own, both soft pink and dark brown looking absolutely _entranced._ For what could only be a split second, he could almost swear he saw a pair of hearts flashing within them, but he was quick to dismiss the thought as a figment of his imagination.

What he couldn't dismiss in such a manner, though, was the distinct sound of glass shattering that he'd learned long ago meant one of Neo's masterfully done illusions had disappeared. Though he had no idea where this illusion might have been…

XXX

Deep within the White Fang's Vale hideout, an entire room's worth of trained Faunus had suddenly gone quiet as they'd all been able to hear what could only be shattered glass, and soon all their heads were seemingly turned towards the same spot in the corner of the room.

One of the few heads that were not turned towards the origin of the noise was one that belonged to the infamous thief known as Roman Torchwick. He knew better than anyone else what exactly that sound had meant and he also knew that if he actually turned to look at where his annoying _gremlin_ of a 'sidekick' had been sitting mere moments ago, he would find nothing but an empty seat.

"God. Fucking. _Dammit,_ _Neo!"_ he hissed out as soon as he composed himself enough to formulate anything close to words.

This would mark the sixth time that Neo had suddenly _disappeared_ from a meeting or briefing, even if, as it turned out, she'd never actually been there in the first place, and Roman wished dearly to know just where the hell she kept running off to and if it had anything to do with the hoodie he'd found her wearing a few days earlier that was much larger than anything he'd ever seen her in. Admittedly, he was also genuinely confused as well regarding what had actually made her outright _destroy_ her illusion in the middle of the briefing since he was usually only able to figure out that she'd left a clone once everything was over.

Whatever had happened to Neo, he figured it had to have been something intense, downright _explosive..._

XXX

For a moment that she almost wished could go on forever, Neo let herself sink further into Jaune's embrace, soon to be fully recovered from her climactic _finish_. Sitting between his legs, he could practically surround her entirely with his nicely muscled body and there was nowhere in the world she would rather be on any given day.

As content as she felt in his arms, though, she wasn't satisfied until _he_ was the one whose body was quaking from an orgasm. She could feel his hard manhood against her back in this position, and when she began to shift around, the groan Jaune let out made a lecherous, almost Cheshire grin break out on her face. She giggled sultrily as she rose from in between his legs and settled fully atop her Knight's lap, his cock being quickly seized by her soft, nimble fingers. He twitched underneath her delicate touch, his flesh warm and hard, and though she was facing the opposite direction, she could just imagine the absolutely _adorable_ expression he was wearing as he gasped yet again when she slowly began stroking his length.

It didn't take long before Neo felt her fingers start to get sticky from the precum leaking from Jaune's tip and she knew that it was time for her to move on to something she was sure her Knight would thoroughly enjoy. Momentarily, she let go of his cock so that she could move herself into position atop his lap, though she couldn't resist the urge to bring her fingers to her lips so that she could lick them clean of the salty substance Jaune had coated them with. The fact that she knew that he 'secretly' found it hot to see her enjoy his cum only made her more eager to put on a little show, her head turning to the side so that he could see her tongue run along her digits. As soon as she knew she had his full attention, however, she smirked impishly before squeezing her plush thighs together around his manhood.

Feeling Neo's luscious thighs surround him made Jaune bite back a swear that would have made his sister Rouge proud. He'd never been good at letting himself openly moan or otherwise vocalize his enjoyment when his little illusionist made him feel good outside of quick gasps or groans, but as he watched her smile back at him so playfully yet sensually, a string of saliva still hanging from her 'cleaned' fingers, a genuine moan managed to slip past his lips.

And it was exactly the kind of _signal_ Neo had been waiting for.

With her legs snugly locked around him and her feet hooking together to make sure it remained that way, she almost teasingly slowly at first started to grind her thighs back and forth along either side of Jaune's cock, the friction her soft skin created feeling amazing to the Knight.

" _Enjoying yourself~...?"_ Neo giggled as she felt more of Jaune's precum leak out on her legs, to which he could only quickly nod in reply. It hadn't been hard for her to figure out that her thighs and hips were two of the things that Jaune was most attracted to about her when it came to her body; whenever he got the chance he would squeeze and massage them tenderly, especially when they kissed, but it still delighted her to see him squirm in pleasure from her ministrations.

With a far less teasing of a tempo this time, she began moving her hips in tandem with her thighs' rubbing, her legs lifting and sinking in an almost circular, rhythmic fashion, Jaune's swollen head disappearing and reappearing between her legs in a manner that made more of those practically siren-like giggles emerge from her soft lips. She'd always had good control over her legs, it came with the job after all, but a few months ago she would never have imagined using them to provide a boy she loved with pleasure would feel more satisfying than kicking someone's teeth in.

From how stained with salty essence her thighs were starting to become, Neo figured Jaune wouldn't be able to last just much longer, and she was looking forward to seeing her favorite expression of his by far. Nothing made her entire chest feel warmer than when she saw Jaune's crystalline, cobalt eyes seek out hers in the moment of orgasm. When she had first seen it, she was sure she'd skipped a few heartbeats from the shear amount of love and affection that had been practically blinding her within them.

"Ugh…! N-Neo..." she heard Jaune half sigh, half groan against her neck, a shiver almost passing through her small body simply from the feeling of his breath so hotly on her, and she was _delighted_ to find that he had actively begun thrusting against her legs from underneath her. His cock was twitching between her thighs and she made sure they remained tight as she sped up the pace of her thighjob once again.

Leaning back a bit more, Neo turned her head so that she could gently kiss Jaune's lips even as his face remained scrunched up in pleasure. She found him just adorable like this and a part of her almost wished she could take a picture of his many different expressions when they made love so that she could have something to look at while fantasized about them together whenever she felt _lonely_ in her room inside Roman's hideout.

" _Don't hold back..."_ she whispered lovingly against her Knight's ear before giving him a few playful nips on his earlobe.

As if her 'permission' was the last thing he needed, Neo felt Jaune tense up underneath her and their eyes met for a beautiful moment before his hips jerked and his cum shot onto her exposed stomach and breasts, much to the little illusionist's delight. It felt warm even on her already hot skin and she suppressed the urge to wipe up one of the ropes that had landed on her chest until she was sure Jaune's orgasm had passed. She didn't want him to miss her little show when she knew how much he'd enjoy watching it. For now, she was happy just to gaze on his love-drunk expression, blissfully unaware of the swearing tirade her hat-enthusiast of a boss was in the middle of on the other side of town at this very moment.

"That… was amazing, Neo..." Jaune sighed as his head returned from its thigh-induced high, his breaths long and deep. He felt the little illusionist in question nuzzle against the side of his neck as she giggled in that almost ethereal way that he'd fallen so deeply in love with. If he could only hear one sound for the rest of his life, he wanted it to be that small, _otherworldly_ laugh.

It wasn't until he actually looked down at Neo that he realized he'd finished on her and he was just about to try and apologize for it when she dragged one of her fingers across her toned stomach, her heterochromatic eyes gleaming with sultriness as she turned her head just like earlier.

Feeling Jaune's gaze so intently on her made Neo want to shudder from how strangely happy it made her feel all over, but she'd promised her Knight a show, even if he didn't know it himself, and she was eager to deliver. As she lifted her hand, her fingers were now visibly coated with Jaune's thick, creamy cum, and even then she could feel the strong, potent smell that it carried. She wouldn't exactly say she _liked_ the scent, but as long as it was from _him,_ she didn't mind it in the slightest. When it came to taste, however, that was another story entirely.

The moment Neo's lips closed around her semen-coated fingers, a lewd moan was quick to escape her throat, and she was only slightly exaggerating for Jaune's sake. Inside her mouth, her tongue was vigorously cleaning every inch of her digits, her spine practically tingling at that wholly unique, salty taste. It was Jaune's very _essence_ and that knowledge alone made her want to lick every single droplet from off her small body, though for now she settled on simply scraping up some more off one of her thighs, making sure to display it plainly for her beloved Knight before she allowed herself to indulge more in that taste that warmed her so. It didn't take long before her show made his cock twitch while still nuzzled between her soft thighs and that movement alone was enough for Neo to feel a new urge run through her body. Having Jaune's cum on her felt wonderful in a horribly perverted way, but right about now she wanted to feel _inside_ her as well.

With what the blonde could only describe as a adorably needy expression, Neo started grinding her hips against his, the pressure of her thighs lessening in favor of her wet slit being rubbed along the underside of his hard manhood.

As oblivious as he could be, Jaune would never leave his little trickster waiting.

 **AN: I know I said that my next story here would be on a more serious note, and that plan hasn't disappeared or anything, but I recently managed to finish this little thing and I just missed seeing _my_ Neo somewhere on this site a lot. Hope it was enjoyable.**

 **Oh, and if it wasn't apparent before, I kind of have a thing for thighs... do with this information as you wish...**


	8. Deserving

**Deserving**

 **AN: Fair warning, the characterization in this particular story might not be everyone's cup of tea. It's not a Jaune or Yang that is shown prominently in the show, rather something akin to what I think _might_ have happened if the direction of the earlier seasons took another turn.**

" _GODDAMMIT!"_

The harsh, angry yell that came from team JNPR's dorm room was almost startling enough for Yang to stumble out of her chair and as she heard the only slightly less loud **crash** that came moments later, a deep frown made it onto her features. She didn't need to look behind her to know that the rest of her team was starting at the door of their room; or, more specifically, the direction the sounds were coming from. It was basically impossible to ignore, especially for her, knowing _who_ it was that was making so much noise.

She spared a glance towards her team, taking in all their different expressions as they sat on their respective beds: Blake's look of silent, but still sad resignation, Weiss' slowly cracking indifference, and finally Ruby's blatant sadness and worry. None of them really needed to say anything since they were all too aware of what was going on just across the hall to their dorm.

Jaune was angry. _Very_ angry.

It wasn't the first time, nor would it be the last most likely, but it was definitely more _explosive_ than usual, a fact that made listening to it all the more unpleasant. Sadly, Yang knew he had plenty of reason to be upset.

Both his team along with team RWBY had returned from their joint mission to the Speartip mountains just hours ago and said return had sadly been far from glorious. The moment their bullhead had docked, both Pyrrha and Ren had been rushed to the infirmary with a swarm of medical personnel surrounding them, Nora following shortly thereafter on her own. Both her and Jaune were mostly unharmed, but the same could not be said for their partners. Ren had a large gash running along the entirety of his right side that was gruesome enough that not even Yang could look at without feeling a sinking feeling in her gut, while Pyrrha's right leg looked less like a limb and more like a mangled tree branch.

The two teams had been attacked by an absolutely frenzied Deathstalker from out of nowhere while they had been pulling down their camp and thanks to the surprise it had been able to strike Ren with its claws along with crushing Pyrrha's leg with its stinger before anyone had had the opportunity to react. Their auras had mitigated what it could, but bones had still been broken and things had been dire to say the least. It was only thanks to Weiss mending Ren's side with her ice as best she could that kept him from bleeding to death, along with Jaune and Blake cutting off the blood flow to Pyrrha's leg with Blake's ribbon, stopping the Deathstalker's poison from spreading further throughout the Spartan's body and killing her right then and there.

Even with two men down, together the rest of them had been able to kill the Deathstalker without any more grievous injuries being suffered, but once the Grimm had been felled, they hadn't exactly had the opportunity to celebrate.

Even before they'd gotten onto the bullhead taking them back to Beacon, Yang had been able to see that Jaune had already begun to blame himself in his head. How it had been his fault she couldn't figure out back then, but now, after hearing his yelling, she had gotten a much clearer picture. To him, it all came to one thing; negligence on his part.

With a grunt and her frown shifting into a look of determination, Yang got out of her seat and walked over to the door leading out into the hall between her team's room and Jaune's.

"I'm… gonna try to talk to him..." she said almost solemnly before exiting the room, not interested in hearing any reply her team might have right about now.

Her burst of purpose and resolve lasted for a grand total of five seconds before she was just standing silently in the hall, unable to bring herself to do much more than listen to the only slightly muffled sounds of Jaune berating everything about himself and the choices he'd made in his life.

Yang knew that neither Pyrrha, Ren, Nora, or anyone in her own team blamed him for what had happened, but telling him that wouldn't change anything. Not now. She knew as much from experience.

Another angry scream could be heard and right now Yang wished that she could just rip her heart out of her chest for a while to stop it from hurting. It always hurt her knowing that Jaune viewed himself in this way, but it became infinitely worse now thanks to how clearly she could make out his words. In his mind, _everything_ that had happened had been because of him.

Pyrrha had been the first one to tell her about Jaune's low opinion of himself. She should have been able to figure it out on her own before then, but a part of her had just firmly believed—maybe _hoped—_ that his offhand comments about his worth and importance in the world were just jokes at his own expense.

That was rarely the case, however, which is exactly what Pyrrha had explained to her. Beneath Jaune's outward appearance of a silly but still increasingly competent leader laid a vast chasm of self doubt. He could take compliments and tirades such as the one happening now were, thankfully, not a daily thing, but if something went wrong, especially if it had consequences that affected people other than himself, then he would torture himself either mentally or sometimes even physically. To call it unhealthy was the understatement of the century, but stopping him from doing it was no small feat and despite Pyrrha's best efforts, it wasn't something that could be easily _repaired._ Yang had done what she could after she'd found out just what Jaune's opinion on himself was, but rarely, if ever, did it turn out to be anything beyond a temporary fix.

He'd cheated his way into Beacon to find any way to be more like the heroes his family was built upon, as far as Yang had understood, desperate to live up to their legacy, but now that he was here, any shortcoming only made him see himself as more of a liability to those around him.

Once, Yang had overheard him mumbling about going so far as to turn himself in to the authorities so that his teammates could get an _actual_ leader. It was a depressing combination of almost egomania and nonexistent self esteem, as he could connect practically any mistake that happened to either of their teams to his own inabilities.

With her knuckles turning white from how hard she was clenching them, she leaned her forehead against the wall next to team JNPR's door. Jaune had seemingly gone quiet for a moment, but she still didn't know what she could do or say that would actually _help_ _him_ right about now. This wasn't exactly a problem she could pummel to the ground after all and none of the techniques that she'd relied on when helping Ruby with her thoughts while they were growing up had any effect on _this_ kind of emotional issue.

It made Yang feel _useless_ in a way and she hated the feeling almost as much as she hated the knowledge that the boy she cared about valued himself so poorly.

He wasn't the strongest fighter and had certainly had moments when he'd legitimately screwed up, but he was still far from worthless. She'd seen how kindhearted he was, how much he cared about the people around him, how fast he'd grown since coming to Beacon, and she knew that he wanted nothing more than to help people. He was her silly, cute, caring knight, and above all else, he never failed to make her happy. It was what she loved the most about him.

Now, though, he was hurting— _hurting_ _himself_ —and Yang couldn't figure out how to make it stop.

After another moment of silence from JNPR's room, Yang was just about to head back to her team when her ears perked up and she heard something collide with the opposite side of the wall her head was against. She didn't need to wonder what it could have been either, as the sound repeated four more times and she caught the more distinct grunt of pain that followed. The thing that had hit the wall was Jaune's forehead, she realized.

Though it was somewhat faint, Yang could hear that he was talking to himself on the other side of the wall, and that she could actually make it out this time.

"… _they could have died… all because of you… you could have **killed** them… killed **her**..." _ she heard him say, voice hoarse from his earlier screaming.

It took most, if not all of Yang's self control to keep her from barging into the room and pulling Jaune into her arms. At this point, it wouldn't do anything to make him feel better and in the end he'd just see himself as more of a burden on the rest of them. Again, she knew from experience...

" _You don't deserve her… you don't deserve **any** of them… Yang shouldn't have to bother with a failure like you..."_

…

Yang had heard Jaune say many things since she'd seen him throw up on that airship way back when they first made their way to Beacon. Plenty of said things had been what she'd consider stupid. Some were stupid in a funny and goofy way while others were just idiotic and had made her wonder if he really should be at the school. _This,_ however, was neither of those things.

She'd started moving seemingly before her brain had sent the command to her legs, ripping open team JNPR's door with enough force for it to bounce closed behind her while she made her way towards Jaune. Though she didn't know it herself at the moment, her normally violet eyes were practically _glowing_ red; an angry, blood red crimson that was only made more noticeable against the blazing shine that her brilliant hair had taken on. It was as if the very _sun_ had suddenly appeared around her, casting a golden glow upon the knight that stood in her path.

Yang had always had a somewhat volatile temper and certain things definitely didn't have to try hard to set her off, something that coupled well with her semblance when actually fighting, but since she'd fallen in love with Jaune, there was one thing that would make her practically _explode_ at a moment's notice.

She absolutely _refused_ to let people suggest Jaune wasn't 'good enough' for her. _Especially_ not Jaune himself. Anyone who did needed to _pay._

The knight practically had no time to react as Yang's hands were on the collar of his hoodie in a flash, shoving him against the wall both of them had been leaning against only seconds ago.

"You don't get to decide that!" she shouted right into Jaune's completely stunned face, the two of them close enough for their noses to touch. " _No one_ is allowed to say who deserves me! You got that! The only person who can decide that is _me_!"

Yang's entire body was practically shaking from all the emotions running through her system, everything she'd bottled up until now regarding this whole ordeal they'd gone through crashing down on her like an avalanche. And it wasn't only fury.

"I won't let you say those things, Jaune. I never will," she continued, voice lowering as her eyes started to sting. The hurt and sadness were starting to dull her fiery rage, everything she'd wanted to say to Jaune coming out at once. "Only _I_ get to make the choice about whether or not you 'deserve' me, just like how youare the only one who decides whether or not _I_ deserve _you…_ I love you, Jaune, and I won't allow anyone to try to suggest otherwise, you hear me? Especially not _you..._ "

By the end of her tirade, Yang's voice was low enough that Jaune was the only person who could hear it, regardless of how hard anyone listening in on the racket coming from team JNPR's dorm tried.

Her eyes were still the angry red from before when she let go of Jaune's shirt and instead pulled him into her arms, holding him as closely and tightly as she could.

At this point, Yang really couldn't tell if anything she'd said would have any long term effects on Jaune's head, it was just one short moment after all against possibly more than a decade of self loathing, but at the very least she'd gotten him to stop attacking himself. She knew that much was certain when his own arms found themselves around her midsection and he started hugging her back, some of his tension slipping away, if only slightly.

It wasn't a breakthrough, but it was _something._ Maybe even a start. And at the moment, Yang knew that she couldn't ask for more.

 **AN: This was a lot more draining for than you might think just reading it in terms of emotions, but it's done and I think it's as good as I can make it at the moment. To bounce back from this dip into serious-town, something lighthearted will probably be in order. Silly and stupid ideas/suggestions are very welcome.**


	9. Battle! Flames of youth igniting soul!

**Boxing**

 **AN: Not something I do often, but I'd definitely like to suggest a song to listen to while reading this chapter since I personally feel it adds to the "experience"; _The Finisher_ from the _Hajime no Ippo OST_ or, alternatively, _You Say Run_ from the _My Hero Academia OST_. Enjoy the action!**

Jaune Arc was not now, nor would he ever be Pyrrha Nikos. It was something Pyrrha herself reminded him of time and time again whenever he felt that he wasn't making enough progress in his training to become a huntsman and something he'd come to terms with, even if it took a bit longer than it should have. He didn't have her skills, her upbringing, her semblance, and, probably most important of all, he didn't have her weapons or fighting style. As such, comparing himself to her in terms of lethality was, in most cases, pointless.

Jaune couldn't fight like Pyrrha did and as they spent longer training together, he stopped trying to emulate her and instead, still under her tutelage, began developing his own way of using his skills in battle, his focus switching from that of an agile fighter to becoming a stubborn wall before his foes; 'attrition' being his new favorite word. Rather than his sword, it was his shield that became his 'main' weapon and his training started focusing more and more on blocking, parrying, guard-breaking, and how to take advantage of his opponents' own strength or speed rather than flashy swordplay. While a rather significant change of pace, utilizing his large aura reserves and shield felt a lot more _natural_ than he could ever have predicted or even hoped; finally, he'd begun to feel as if he was making _genuine progress._

Jaune kept these thoughts in the back of his mind as he moved his right arm up to guard against yet another of Yang's quick strikes, his eyes locked with hers as he settled back into his stance. He made sure to keep his breaths slow and steady, letting the dull aches of his body melt away in the adrenaline coursing through his veins.

Standing on the other side of the ring was Yang; her eyebrows knitted together as she scanned him for any kind of an opening. She was becoming more and more frustrated with every punch that she landed thanks to the fact that practically _none_ of them so far had had any kind of satisfying impact. They were hits, yes, and they were _landing,_ but she could feel that they weren't doing the damage that she _wanted_ them to do. From the very start of their sparring session, Jaune had either blocked her punches or made sure to weave out of the way enough that they only brushed against him. She'd been downright _excited_ at the prospect of seeing what kind of results Pyrrha's training had born when he first suggested they should spar, but with how annoying it was to _not_ feel that satisfying **thud** when her taped fist hit something, her attitude had changed drastically.

Not only that, but he was barely fighting back against her, only throwing out the odd jab when she'd committed to a swing and couldn't block it properly. Only attacking when he was _guaranteed_ to land the hit. She'd started to figure out how to dodge them by now, but the hits he'd managed to land still stung.

Gritting her teeth, Yang let her aggravation get the better of her for a moment, mindlessly punching away at Jaune's defenses for a moment before…

' _There!'_

With eyes flickering between violet and crimson, Yang spotted the opening she'd been looking for. It wasn't big; just a small exposing of his left side as he moved into a new position, but it was enough for her to work with. Restraining the urge to let out a victorious shout, she pulled back her arm and rushed forward, putting as much weight as she could into her swing—there was no way he'd be able to block it in time. Her aim was squarely on Jaune's kidney and as time seemed to slow down, she knew that this hit was going to _hurt._ Big tim-

 **WHAM**

Yang wasn't allowed to finish her thought as Jaune's fist collided squarely with her jaw and her surefire swing grazed harmlessly off his midsection. For a moment, she was too dazed to figure out what had just happened, stumbling for a few steps as her world spun around, but her senses quickly returned and she reflexively withdrew from the short exchange.

Jaune had played her like a fiddle; she'd been baited and summarily punished for rushing so gleefully to take said bait and now her ears rang as she collected her bearings. It wasn't enough to bring her down, but it still hurt a hell of a lot more than anything Jaune had thrown at her before. She'd overextended and instead of trying to mitigate the damage he would have received by throwing up a quick but poor guard, he'd used her own momentum against her when she'd been at her most vulnerable, diverting her blow and damaging her at the same time.

Despite her ever mounting frustration, Yang couldn't deny that it was a damn good punch as well as smart move. She couldn't exactly explain it, but she found it strangely satisfying to see Jaune's growth into a rather competent fighter, especially considering where he'd started from. That being said, it wasn't enough to override her desire to kick his ass _thoroughly_. Not even _close_.

She could feel beads of sweat rolling down her face as she started to circle her _prey_ and it was impossible for her to ignore the way her lungs had begun to burn. Even if it was just the first signs of it, fatigue was slowly but surely starting to take its toll on her body. At this point, she'd expended too much energy and not gotten nearly enough results in return, and just a quick glance at Jaune's chest was enough to tell her that his breathing was nowhere near as close to being classed as labored as her was.

What was getting on Yang's nerves the most at this point, however, didn't have anything to do with how the fight was beginning to lean. It had to do with Jaune himself.

Practically every time her eyes wandered over to his face looking for some kind of tell, she'd have to mentally slap herself as she stayed on his expression for just a second longer than she knew she could afford. It hadn't cost her anything _yet,_ but she knew better than anyone how much a split-second slip up like that could cost her.

It was just…

 _His eyes…_

Yang had never seen this side of Jaune up close like this before. She'd grown somewhat used to the more serious air he took on when their teams were out on joint missions together and it was his duty as team leader to guide his team, but she'd never gotten this _personal_ with him while his 'serious-switch', as Ruby had dubbed it, was flicked on. His deep, cobalt eyes were practically _gleaming_ from the attention he was focusing squarely on their fight—taking in and analyzing her body's movements even as she merely jabbed at him and was met with the back of his arms for what felt like the hundredth time, with nothing more than the _smallest_ of smirks on his face, giving away his enjoyment of their spar. Yang had plenty of first hand experience when it came to just how absolutely _terrible_ Jaune was at lying or hiding things (their teams' poker sessions being one of the biggest sources for proof of that), yet now, in the heat of the battle, she couldn't read his thoughts at all.

All of it was so utterly _aggravating_ … especially because of just how _smoldering_ his gaze on her felt. No matter how much she tried to completely wipe the thought from her head, Yang was starting to feel a new kind of heat take root inside her; one that had _nothing_ to do with either her sweat or semblance…

Fighting Jaune Arc like this—seeing his eyes so calculating and focused on her and only her, along with that tiny but still oh so damnable smile—was making Yang Xiao-Long feel turned on. And it was becoming increasingly distracting.

Putting her frustration into her fists, Yang let loose a series of heavy swings against Jaune's defenses, her shoulders protesting when he quickly sidestepped and made her waste even more energy. She could feel her cheek begin to swell along with the distinct taste of blood on the inside of her lip. This wasn't the brawl that she wanted—the kind of fighting that she _thrived_ off of—this was much more drawn out and _planned._ At times, it almost felt more like a _chase_ than it did an actual _battle._ And she absolutely _hated_ it.

Jaune, meanwhile, felt a sick sort of satisfaction as he watched Yang's eyes switch from violet to blazing vermilion, her teeth bared in what he couldn't describe as anything but a _snarl._ Had this been any other moment, he was certain seeing this kind of expression on the fiery blonde's face would have made him have to contain some kind of squeak, especially when it was directed at him, but right now it was something he'd almost been looking _forward_ to.

In a match of sheer strength or speed, Jaune was well aware of the fact that he'd lose 99 out of a 100 times against Yang, and that sole win would only be due to her suffering some kind of sudden, inexplicable aneurysm, causing a walk-over. Even after his months of training under Pyrrha's tutelage, she still had him outclassed by miles in terms of both physical ability as well as turning her foes into red smears with unrelenting attacks.

Which was _exactly_ why he _wasn't_ on fighting her head on and instead took his time. He was making sure this spar of theirs stayed an endurance match; the sole area he felt he _might_ have an edge on Yang.

It was for this reason Jaune considered Yang's anger tactically advantageous. When she got mad, her hits would hurt that much more, but at the same time she'd become more reckless; more prone to taking risks. More _exploitable._

If they were to fight for real, with weapons in hand and semblances available, his strategy would need changing, but it'd still revolve around tiring her out rather than feeding her ability to turn the damage he inflicted on her back at him. This _wasn't_ a _real_ fight, however. It was something more _limiting,_ which he was all too keen on taking advantage of. In a sense, he felt Yang, Ruby, and Weiss were almost too reliant on their semblances, making engagements where they weren't allowed or simply _couldn't_ use their powers that much more crippling. Neither he nor anyone else on his team had that problem really, seeing as their own semblances were far less useful in combat scenarios. As such, Jaune felt he was in a much better position than his fellow blonde.

Back in the moment at hand, Yang came at him hard and fast, even more so than before, her leg colliding with his arms with the force of a full grown Ursa it felt like, but Jaune knew he couldn't let himself get pushed back into a corner. He could tell that his arms would be riddled with bruises come tomorrow, but right now the pain only made him more alert.

He was nervous; afraid even, but he refused to let those feelings control him.

He sidestepped once again as Yang's fist came flying towards him in an uppercut and lashed out with a punch of his own. His heart dropped, however, when her head jerked to the side, the punch sailing harmlessly through her billowing hair, and he was suddenly left wide open for a short, yet also painfully long second. More than enough time for her to retaliate.

Acting on pure instinct, Jaune stepped forward, his shoulder bashing into Yang's chest at the same time as her arm pulled back. He paid for attempting to ending their fight quicker when she landed a punch to his kidney, just like she had attempted before, but he still threw her off balance enough to stop any follow up, letting him disentangle the two of them and create some breathing room.

' _Getting cocky gets you killed, getting cocky gets you killed...'_ he started repeating inside his head almost like a mantra, gritting his teeth through the stabs shooting up his now aching side. His body wanted him crumple and curl up to get the almost agonizing pain to go away, but Jaune fought to make sure _he_ remained in control. He refused to let things end just yet.

Yang wasn't about to let him get his head on straight though, and moved to engage him once again. Tightening his guard, Jaune prepared himself for the coming assault, not planning on taking anymore chances.

"Slow and steady, there's no rush..." he muttered almost silently to himself as Yang's first swing came sailing towards him.

The **THUD** of bandaged knuckles hitting flesh echoed throughout the room as Yang laid into Jaune with a ferocity that would have made blood-frenzied Beowolves blush. Her anger only glowed brighter and brighter with every punch that didn't land like she wanted it to. Weaves and bobs made her fists skid off of Jaune's sweaty arms rather than land with the impact they were _supposed_ to. Her eyes locked on his own fist as his right arm suddenly jerked back and her mind froze for no more than a millisecond as she debated whether she should block, disengage, or try to take advantage of the opening. It was only then that she noticed the jab coming towards her from Jaune's left hand and she didn't even have time to mentally curse herself before his fist collided with the same cheek he'd nailed before.

" _Fuck!"_ Yang hissed as her eyes refocused on Jaune. It wasn't enough to bring her down, but the right side of her face was really starting to sting. She didn't have time to think about the pain, however, when she spotted Jaune circling around her side. Quick as lightning, her hand shot towards him with the intent to _destroy._ A flash of delight surged through her mind when she caught his eyes widening, as if he wasn't prepared for her to recover and lash out that soon.

One good hit, that was all she needed. It wouldn't take more for her to turn this fight around; for her to be able to _dominate._ If she could just break his guard, he'd be completely at her mercy…

Yang's fist never connected.

Jaune felt his heartbeat thunder in his head as he kept every muscle in his body rigid and firm like stone. Every single tendon and joint he had had turned into robs of iron within his limbs.

He'd stopped. Completely; Yang's hand just barely grazing by his cheek right in front of him. His legs screamed at him for coming to such a sudden halt, but his plan had worked. Yang was still moving towards him, her full weight having been put into that blow, now totally exposed and with no way to stop.

Exactly like he'd hoped.

Just as suddenly as he'd stopped, Jaune began moving again. It was his turn to attack now. Using his entire weight along with her own momentum, Jaune drove his fist deep into the Yang's solar plexus, feeling her entire body jolt against his knuckles as he forced the breath from her lungs and sent her hurtling backwards, gasping and coughing. He watched as her legs gave out underneath her and she landed in a sitting position on the mat beneath them, clutching her abdomen as saliva flew from her mouth with every shudder that went through her.

In his head, Jaune started to slowly count from 10, intentionally dropping his guard fully for the first time since their match began. He was able to reach number 4 before Yang started to shakily get back onto her feet, breathing heavily.

"H-holy… shit..." Yang managed to get out between breaths, wiping off the spittle around her mouth on the back of her hand. "You're definitely not playing around today, Vomit boy. I really felt that one."

Her cheeks were flush with color as she looked back at him, a smile making its way to her lips despite how wobbly her _everything_ felt. When he responded with a confident smirk of his own, Yang couldn't help but shiver slightly. Seeing something like that from _Jaune_ of all people had way more of an effect on her than she could ever have predicted. And it was in that very moment that she decided she was going to do something _really_ stupid.

"Do you want to keep going?" Jaune asked, some genuine concern slipping into his voice.

" _Definitely_ ," Yang replied without hesitation, laughing, "You're not getting rid of me that easily."

Just like that, they were both at it again; Jaune raising his guard and Yang advancing with a feral grin on her features, a renewed ferocity in her movement. They almost settled into a rhythm together, exchanging punches with neither taking any massive risks anymore. It was clear, however, that one of the blondes had the upper hand. Compared to when they had started, one of them had become almost sluggish; their energy reserves running on low, despite their fighting spirit still burning as brightly as ever.

Both Yang and Jaune knew this, but neither was backing down now. This fight could end one way and one way only; with one of them on their back, beaten.

And currently, Yang suspected that person would turn out to be her. Her arms felt heavy and she could tell Jaune wasn't having as much trouble blocking her as before. One more good hit and she'd be done for, that much she felt sure of. However, she wasn't planning on letting Jaune _get_ another good hit.

' _It's all or nothing,'_ she thought as she dashed forward, smiling wildly. Jaune, seemingly catching on, at least somewhat, to her plan, started backing up rapidly, but Yang still had enough time to get herself into position. Without hesitating for even a moment, she launched herself upward, jumping at Jaune and grabbing hold of both his wrists. As she'd feared, her weight and moment alone wasn't enough to catch him completely off guard, so she pulled out her secret weapon.

Still holding onto his wrists, Yang leaned forward and kissed Jaune squarely on the lips.

Now, Jaune Arc was well aware that Yang Xiao-Long was something of an eccentric and definitely unpredictable, but not in his wildest dreams had he thought she'd use _this_ kind of 'tactic', if you could even call it that. In his shock, his resistance against her grip on his arms melted away and Yang was more than happy to take advantage of it.

Her leg hooked around his own and suddenly Jaune realized he wasn't standing on anything anymore and was instead falling backwards. His back hit the floor with a heavy **thud** as Yang's weight pressed down on him, pinning both his arms and legs.

The fiery blonde's breaths were hot and heavy as she sat herself atop Jaune's chest, grinning toothily down at him as she reveled in the moment. She could feel her lips still tingling from their shared kiss and she couldn't help but laugh at the expression on her opponent's face. Her stupid plan had been a _resounding_ success, she was proud to say.

"I win," she said teasingly after 10 seconds had passed, not letting go of his wrists just yet.

Jaune didn't respond right away, still shaken from the kiss and subsequent drop, not even struggling against Yang's grip. To call it unexpected would be an understatement so immense that it could practically be considered criminal and processing everything that had happened in the short span of time took most of his brain power.

Eventually, however, Jaune managed to catch up, his cheeks a deep scarlet as he met Yang's heated gaze.

"And I lose," he replied finally.

Satisfied, Yang let go of his wrists, sitting up straighter. "I haven't had a spar that fun in years, so thanks for showing me such a good time, Vomit boy. You put up a damn good fight."

"You too. I've still got a long way to go, that's for sure."

"Hey, don't be so hard on yourself. You really got me good a couple of times. I wasn't sure I was going to win there in the end," Yang chuckled. When she saw just how red Jaune had gotten, however, she decided she needed to add something; "And, um, sorry about that. The kiss I mean. I, uh… kinda got a little bit excited and wasn't thinking things through."

If possible, her apology made Jaune even more embarrassed, and she just barely caught his awkward _"Don't worry about it"._

Despite herself, Yang was unable to _not_ find the display cute, especially when Jaune made such an unmistakable effort to not come off as shaken and simply wave it off. It reminded her of Ruby, in a sense, but… _different._ A good different, she decided.

Not in any kind of hurry to get off of him, Yang planted her arms on either side of Jaune's face, leaning down so they were face to face; her hair forming a golden curtain around them.

"In that case, you wouldn't mind if I gave you another one, right?" she whispered hotly, smiling mischievously at her now captured _prey._

Jaune, not trusting his voice, barely had time to shake his head before Yang's soft lips were planted firmly on his own. Again. And suddenly, his loss didn't feel so bad.

 **AN: Another Dragonslayer chapter? Yeah, sorry about that. I had planned on finishing another thing and posting this afterwards, but progress on said thing has slowed to an utter fucking crawl and I simply had too much fun writing this chapter to let it sit and collect dust for any longer. I also haven't updated in fucking forever, so I figured I need to put out _something_ for you people to enjoy. Admittedly, I watched a lot of Hajime no Ippo before and during the process of putting this thing together which definitely shows, hence the music suggestion up top. **

**On a completely different note, I've got something of an announcement to make: I'm going to open up writing commissions. It will be a fairly limited deal and prices will vary heavily depending on the scenario presented and length of the requested story, but I'd like to give it a shot. If things go well, I'll make an actual price sheet and try to make it something more "official". Note that this is not going to be limited to RWBY stories either. If you've got a fandom you want me to write something for, just ask and we'll see how familiar I am with it. If any of you are interested, shoot me a message and we can discuss details.**

 **Until next time.**


	10. Feet and forests

**Peaceful sleep**

 **AN: #FuckCindersPlanAU, as is the norm. Though... maybe it'd be more accurate to call it Salem's plan, considering the "hierarchy" going on among the villains...**

Weiss loved her boots. She genuinely did.

For years they had served her well, looked fantastic along with the rest of her outfit, and, most importantly, they were very comfortable to fight in. They allowed her to move freely and worked wonders with her glyphs, stopping her from worrying about how her ankles and feet would fair up from the rapid movements she performed with their help.

All in all, they were simply wonderful shoes.

However...

They were _not_ made for walking through forests. At least not for days on end.

When she'd heard that her team would be going out on a week long mission together with team JNPR, Weiss had been very excited at the prospect of showing off just how well she could work with others, but now she wanted nothing more than to be back at Beacon with a large basin of steaming water for her poor, aching feet. They'd been wandering through the Everstream forests for the better part of a week by now, cleaning out any Grimm presence they stumbled across, and her feet were simply _killing_ her. The heels of her boots kept sinking into the soft undergrowth of the humid forest, making traversal that much more of a hassle, and when they weren't, the ground beneath her was so uneven that she kept almost losing her balance.

It was a nightmare for both her feet and legs, and over the course of the week she'd grown increasingly jealous of Yang and Jaune, since they'd both brought heavy duty trekking boots rather than their usual footwear. She dearly wished she'd had the foresight to do the same, but in the end she had overestimated what her own shoes could handle, and now she was suffering the consequences. Probably the only thing that made the situation just a bit more bearable was that Jaune had promised to massage her feet for as long as she wanted when they next settled down to camp out for the night as well as the fact that this was the last day of their assignment. A bullhead was picking them up at noon the next day and Weiss simply could not _wait_ to be back on that heavenly thing society called a _floor._

She'd actually been surprised at first how sympathetic Jaune had been towards her and her feet's plight, but then she remember how he'd told her about growing up near these kinds of forests and she figured he had plenty of first hand experience regarding walking around like this with a less than stellar choice of footwear. She also couldn't deny that the small, sympathetic looks he'd been giving her all week made her feel a bit lighter in her chest.

She wished dearly that she could enjoy that light feeling, but with all the bugs buzzing around her admittedly sweaty body, the distant chirping of cicadas signalling the approach of dusk, _and_ her aching feet, she was utterly _miserable_. Miserable enough to actually fall behind the others as they made way to their chosen camping spot.

It was a small clearing on the map, and she really hoped that it was _still_ a clearing and that time and the weather hadn't altered it in any way.

Thankfully, she needn't have worried at all. As soon as they all reached the clearing Ruby threw herself on the ground, Nora joining in soon after, both of them kissing the dirt almost _lovingly._

"Oh, sweet solid ground, how I've missed you!" Nora cried joyously, trying with all her might to hug the ground like a long missed friend. Weiss simply shook her head and moved to help Ruby up off the ground as Ren and Pyrrha gathered up everyone's bags.

"Come on, oh great and powerful team leader," Weiss said as Ruby steadied her weary form on her own, "We've got a camp to set up."

"Don't even sweat it, Ice Queen," Yang said cheerfully. "Our dad used to take Rubes and I camping all the time when our uncle Qrow would visit us. You can just chill over there, we can handle the setup!"

Weiss let go of Ruby and shot her a thankful smile, but Ruby didn't seem to be that happy with her sister's statement.

"We'll help," Ren spoke up, gesturing to him and Nora. Pyrrha also chimed in with the same sentiment, and though Blake didn't say much of anything, she was already going through the motions.

As her companions got to work, Weiss started looking around and she was quick to notice that there was a suspicious lack of blond goof in the general vicinity.

"Has anyone seen..." she trailed off as she noticed that her companions were all already arguing over the proper way to set up a tent and start a fire.

Leaving her team to fend for themselves, knowing that she wouldn't be able to help much considering the absolute joke her tent assembling skills were, she began looking around the clearing for a certain male Arc, both to tell him that they were setting up the tent and to _subtly_ remind him of the promise he'd made that she _dearly_ needed to take him up on. After a couple of minutes of searching, she spotted a very distinct head of scruffy blond hair and she was just about to call out to the owner of said hair when he came into full view and her words died on her tongue.

Leaning on one of the many trees surrounding them in all directions, Jaune laid sleeping, a heap of what she assumed was firewood next to him. His breathing was calm and even, his mouth half open, and his entire body looking utterly relaxed. It was, at least to Weiss, a very cute picture, even if she didn't exactly understand just how he'd fallen asleep so quickly out here in the woods considering how it took at least two hours for herself to settle down, and that was in a tent. Despite herself, however, a part of her couldn't help but think Jaune looked very comfortable where he laid and she didn't have a heart cold enough to actually wake him up, even if he had fallen asleep while the others worked. He'd been leading the teams for most of the journey due to his expertise when it came to wandering throughout the woods, compared to the rest of them at least, and without his knowledge about reading the map, Weiss was sure they'd gotten lost more times than she could count, so in a way she felt he deserved it. A sentiment most of their teammates would parrot, she was fairly certain.

Shaking her head at the blond knight, a soft smile on her face, Weiss leaned down and placed a quick kiss on his cheek before picking up the branches and dried moss he'd collected before taking his little nap. As soon as her lips left his skin, however, she scanned the area around them to make sure no one had seen the kiss. Despite being in a forest in the middle of nowhere, she still had... _difficulties_ showing her boyfriend affection without guaranteed privacy.

When Weiss eventually made her way back to the rest of team RWBY and JNPR, she was pleased to find that their tent had been erected successfully and that they'd begun building a campfire, Ruby already preparing the marshmallows she'd packed for just this moment by sticking them in groups of five on metal rods she'd stored Dust knows where.

"I thought Jaune was supposed to be the one gathering firewood," Blake noted when Weiss dumped her armfull of sticks next to the firepit in front of the tent.

"Yeah, and speaking of which, where has Vomit boy run off to? I still need to kick his butt at poker at least once before this trip is over..." Yang piqued up from her seat next to Ruby, the latter parts being spoken in a more frustrated tone.

"He's..." Weiss bit her tongue. She thought briefly about lying just in case they tried to go and wake him up, but knew they'd be worried if they didn't know where he went off to. "He's asleep. Under a tree. Just a bit over that way," she pointed in the general direction. "I figured I'd just let him get a bit of rest and bring what he gathered."

"Aw, Weiss is such a good girlfriend!" Nora sang, obviously gushing. Weiss visibly flushed at the comment, crossing her arms and looking away.

"Whatever. I'll uh... I'll go and get him. Before he gets eaten by a Beowolf or something..." She turned back and carefully made her way through the somewhat thick forestation and foliage. She was kind of concerned about his safety, but mostly she knew he could probably take care of himself, and just wanted to get away from any more teasing.

She sighed as she laid eyes on his precious, sleeping form once more. The way he was just softly breathing, his head tilted at an angle as it laid against the trunk of tree. She knelt down next to him and considered her options.

She could wake him up, take him back to camp. But that would open up a whole can of teasing, to be sure. And his side did look incredibly comfy and warm...

Throwing out any hope of sleeping in a tent tonight, she sat down beside him, clearing a few twigs out of the way, and hugged his side snugly. She gently grabbed his hand and pushed her head into his neck, taking in the scent of his hoodie.

It always smelled like it just came out of the dryer for some reason. Even during these long trips. But there was a hint of pine that was quite new.

Letting out a breath she hadn't noticed she'd been holding, just deflating into Jaune's side, Weiss let herself relax for the first time in longer than she'd like to remember, or so she felt. Helping her relax was, to her, one of the most incredible of Jaune's abilities simply for the fact that she couldn't for the life of her actually _explain_ just why having him close let her wind down. She wouldn't have been able to imagine that the dolt that had asked her out and made such a fool of himself during their first year would become someone so important to her, but yet here she was, leaning against him as her eyes closed and she just concentrated on the calming sound of his rhythmic breathing. Her thumb idly stroked the back of his hand and the small skin on skin contact felt a lot better than she thought it had any right to, but she would certainly not complain.

Time passed faster than she was prepared, and eventually she nodded off for a while. She couldn't be sure for how long she slept, but when her eyes fluttered open again, dusk had turned into night and the cold white light of the moon was the only thing illuminating Jaune's still peaceful face. She was about to settle down again when a shiver passed through her and she noticed how chilly it had started to get. A frown made its way onto her features and with a resigned sigh she started getting up from her position. She was stopped, however, when she noticed that during their sleep, Jaune's arm had found its way around her shoulder and she was forced to spend a few minutes slowly making her way out of his embrace, no matter how awful the lack of his warmth felt. It was nothing, however, compared to the way Jaune's expression changed in his sleep, like she was doing something horrible to him, and simply couldn't stop herself from leaning in and pushing her lips against his gently, hopefully placating him until she got back.

Yawning, Weiss started walking back to camp, finding that the only one still up was Ren, sitting by the slowly dying fire. He offered her a smile when he noticed she was there and she returned it before heading into the tent. As soon as she pulled the flap that covered the opening to the tent, however, she had to suppress a giggle at the image that she found.

In one of the corners laid Blake, curled up with her head resting on her hands like a cat in her sleeping bag, her ears flitting in to and fro in a way that would have been adorable on its own but was only made cuter by comparing it to Pyrrha. The famed Mistralian champion was taking up at least a fourth of the tent just on her own, laying in a downright _majestic_ spread eagle position with a mask over her eyes and a line of drool running out the edge of her wide open mouth, a quiet snoring coming from her throat. Weiss knew better than most just how priceless such a picture would be to the many newspapers across Remnant and just how hard she'd fight for Pyrrha's right to sleep like a slob outside the the public eye.

Ruby, meanwhile, looked like she was suffering. With her almost scared looking face captured between the merciless breasts of Yang and Nora, Weiss' partner would probably not have the most peaceful of slumber; her dreams most likely filled with murderous marshmallows that wanted to suffocate her. Both Yang and Nora, in contrast, looked as comfortable as could be with their arms around their chosen 'sleeping aid', regardless of if said 'sleeping aid' had had any actual say in whether or not she got the position.

Next to her sleeping teammates laid what Weiss was looking for; the extra blankets she'd packed for everyone but mostly for herself. She grabbed a couple of them and made her way out of the tent. Looking at Ren she couldn't help but giggle as a sudden thought appeared in her head.

"I suggest being careful when you get into the tent to sleep later, Ren," she called out, earning herself a confused look from the boy in question. "Pyrrha looks like she'd snap shut like a beartrap if someone touched her." Realization moved across Ren's face and his sigh of resignation coaxed another chuckle from her.

Just as Weiss was about make her way out of the camp, another thought struck her and she bit her lip as she mulled it over. Coming to a decision, she leaned down and used one of her hands to pull down the zippers on her boots, kicking them off before also pulling down her socks.

Letting her feet 'breathe' felt absolutely _divine_ to Weiss and she had to suppress a genuine groan of pleasure as her bared feet settled into the cold, damp moss on the ground beneath her. The aches were still there, but for a blissful moment they were 'silenced'; giving her a much needed reprieve from the torture her naïve choice in footwear had brought her over the past couple of days.

Remembering that she was on a absolutely vital _mission_ , however, she set off towards her _target_ once more, her light, delicate steps carrying her quickly across the forest floor. Unsurprisingly, she found Jaune in the same position she'd left him in, though he'd curled up into himself a bit more in response to the cold, or so Weiss assumed.

She took her place next to him just like before and laid the blanket down atop both of them. She felt Jaune stir slightly at the action, his arm reaching out and finding Weiss' waist. Color rose to her cheeks at the feeling, but she made no attempts to resist when he unconsciously pulled her into his embrace. Smiling, she let her head fall into his chest, her eyes closing as she tugged the blanket up over them some more. Just as she felt sleep begin to overtake her, however, a pair of lips pushed against the top of her head, and when she glanced upwards, her baby-blue eyes were met with a single deep blue one, as well as a sleepy, but very happy grin.

"Good night, Snow angel," Jaune whispered quietly, tugging at his little heiress' waist so that she could sink into his side ever further.

"Good night, my knight," Weiss replied, reaching out beneath the blanket until she found Jaune's hand, their fingers intertwining as they both fell asleep.


End file.
